Button structure



Aug. 29, 1950 o. J. POUPITCH BUTTON STRUCTURE Fi led March 5 w/llllllllllllll 1 INVENTOR Z '65? Jazz/5 Patented Aug. 29, 1950 BUTTON STRUCTURE Ougliesa. J'ules Poupitch, Chicago, 111., assignor; to Illinois Tool 'Works,. Chicago, 111., a corporation of-. Illinois Appli'cationM'arcli 5, 1949, Serial No. 79,824

9. Claims.

This invention relates. generally toe-button type fasteners; and more particularly to button struc' tures: adapted for convenient, permanent. attach,- ment to a garment or the. like without the. necessityof employingv a. needle and thread.

Button structures of the type contemplated hereby, commonly referred to as bachelor but tons,'i-n order adequately-to serve-their intended purpose must-be attachable: to a pieceof 01011112135 thev simple expedientof forcing: two parts into permanent. associationv with each other. It: is therefore an important object of: the; present. invention to provide a buttonstructure:oiextremel-y simpleyet: sturdy construction in which one part having. elongated fastening elements may be forced into interlocking associationwith. a button part proper.

More specifically; the invention contemplates a button structure of the type referred" to above; wherein the free extremities of the aforesaid fastening elements may beswagedor forced-into interlocking impingement: with the. material of the button head in the vicinity of theshanln To this end it is proposed toso dispose one end of a sleeve in: the: vicinity of the. juncture of a button head and shank, that. as the: elongated fastening elements are telescopically associated with the button shank this sleeve will function to -direct the advancing extremities of the elements into interlocking impingement. with the: button stock. The foregoing and other objects: and advantages will be. more apparent: from the following detailed description when considered in connec tionwith the accompanying drawings: wherein? Fig. '1 is a fragmentary perspective view she-w L0. The button structure [-0 consists of two main. units; namely, the unit 12 and the. clamp.- ing unit IA.

Thebutton structure or unit [:2 includes a button head I'B' having a. central shank portion l=8 extending therefrom. The shank or extension I8 is provided with. a: plurality of longitudinal. recesses. 20. designed. to accommodate complementary prongs or tines 221 of the member [A in a manner later to. be described. The: shank [8- is snugly accommodated by a. sleeve; member 24' preferably formed of sheet: metal, and; theup.- per extremity of the sleeve 24 is preferably em bedded within the. head; Hi and is. inclined inwardly towards. the-axis of the button. It will be noted that. the; upper extremities of the. re:- cesses; 2.0 terminate at. a. point. where the inward inclination: of the. sleevev 24.- begins.

The head IG and shank I18 may be. formed: or molded from: suitable plastic. material-L. It is important that the material of; these: parts: present the required: degree. of: rigidity and firmness, and yet penetrable when engaged; by pointed mom;- bers-such as the free extremities of the: times. 22 of the memberll. 7

From the foregoing-description; it will. be apparent thatwhen the parts I2 and I4: are-.to be applied to apiece of cloth, as forexample, the cloth 26, Figs. 3' and '1; they arefirst-disposed on opposite sides of-' saidcloth. The tines 22 are caused to penetrate: or pierce the cloth 2'6 and ing the: button structure of the present-invention applied to.- a piece of cloth;

Fig. 2 is; aside view ofthe. structure illustrated in Fig; 1;

Fig. 3. isv an enlarged", vertical, sectional view taken: substantially along the; line 3-3 of Fig; 2 1

Fig. 4 is a horizontal, sectional view-takensubstantially along thealine- 4'4 of Fig. 3::

Fig. 5 is a perspective viewpf the sleevewhich snugly accommodates the button shank;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the fastening part: which is adapted to be pressed into interlocking association with the; button: shank: in the vicinity of the upper extremity of the sleeve iI'Ius-F trated in Fig. 5; and

Fig; "l." is a View illustrating the two parts of the button structure in section with a piece of cloth interposed therebetween in readiness to be penetrated by the prongs; oi the;- element-positioned therebeneath.

Referring. now. to the drawing more in detail -9 vention is designated generally by the numeral jacent end" surface of the shank then are brought into telescopic association. with the complementary longitudinal recesses 20'. It will benoted that the sleeve 24' provides an outer wall in association with the longitudinal recesses 20'. As the pointed, free extremities of the tines 22 move intoengagement" with the material of the head 16' in the vicinity of the upper end" of the sleeve 24, said" tines penetrate or pierce the stock and are deflected inwardly as an incident to the engagement" thereof with the inner" inclined surface of the sleeve; Thus the free ex tremity of the tines conforms-substantially with the curvature of the portion of the sleeve 24 embedded within the head f6 as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3-. This establishes avery firm in terlockbetweerr the tines or prongs 22- and the button structure" i-Z.

with the base edge of" the sleeve 24 and the ad- I8 firmly clamped against the surface of'thecloth 26; The disc-like body 28* of the member M clampingly en ages the opposite surfaceof the-cloth 26-.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the invention contemplates a button structure of extremely simple yet practical construction. The metallic sleeve 24 maybe associated with the shank t8 and. headl6. at the time. these parts are molded, and in this mannerthe. curved ex;- tnemit oi. the: sleeve, will. be. embedded within Thus the button structure I2 is firmly held in position upon the cloth 26' the plastic or other suitable button structure. It is important that the'material of the head and shank be sufficiently softer than th material of the tines o-r fingers 22 so as to assure interlocking penetration of the sharp extremities of these fingers. However, the material of the button and shank, although sufficiently soft to permit penetration, must also have firmness and resilience to insure tine impingement against th deflected tine points. It is essential also that the material of the sleeve 24 have sufficient hardness to effect inward deflection of the tine points as these tines lockingly impinge or bear against the plastic material of the button head. The force requiredto effect complete interlocking of the two button parts will depend upon the resistance encountered by the free, pointedextremities of the tines as they are forced into the material of the button head and are deflected inwardly as an incident to engagement with the inner inclined surface of the sleeve.

While for purposes of disclosure, one practical embodiment of the invention has been disclosed and described herein, it will be obvious that other modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the ap pendedclaims.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

4 bers, the portion of the sleev in the vicinity of said head beinginclined toward the shank axis, the upper extremity of said apertureterminating in said pierceable central portion whereb to enable said pierceable portion to be pierced by the free extremities of the aforesaid elongated fastening elements.

' 5. A button-type fastener including an enlarged head and shank having a pierceable portion, a sleeve surrounding said shank, a button element associated with said shank and sleeve, said button element including a base portion and a plurality of pointed tines extending therefrom, said shank and said sleeve being adapted telescopically to receive therebetween said pointed tines, and means on the sleeve and angularly disposed relative to the sleeve axis for-deflecting the free extremities of said pointed tines into said pierceable portion whereby to move said free extremities into interlocking impingement there- With.: 4

6. A- button-type fastener including an enlarged head having a pierceable portion, a central shank provided with a plurality of longitul. A button-type fastener including an enlarged head having a central portion adapted to be pierced, a central shank provided with a plurality of longitudinal circumferentially spaced recesses adapted telescopically to receive complementary, elongated fastening members, and a sleeve surrounding said shank, the portion of the sleeve in the vicinity of said head being inclined toward th shank axis, the upper extremities of said recesses terminating in the vicinity of the juncture between the shank and head whereby to enable the button stock in that area to be pierced by the free extremities of the aforesaid elongated fastening elements.

2. A' button-type fastener including an enlarged head having a central portion adapted to be pierced, a central shank provided with a plurality of longitudinal, circumferentially spaced recesses adapted telescopically to receive complementary, elongated fastening members, and a sleeve surrounding said shank providing an outer wall for said recesses, the portion of the sleeve in the vicinity of said head being inclined toward the shank axis, the upper extremities of said recesses terminating in the vicinity of said inclined portionof the sleeve whereby to enable free extremities of the aforesaid elongated fastening elements to pierce the button structure and to be deflected inwardly.

3. A button-type fastener including an enlarged head and shank having 'a pierceable portion, a clamping element having elongated fastening members and a sleeve surrounding said shank, said sleeve and said shank being adapted to receive therebetween the elongated fastening membars, a portion of the sleeve positioned toward said head being inclined toward the shank axis whereby to direct the free extremities of said elongated fastening members into said pierceable portion to move said free extremities into intertelescopically receiving elongated fastening mem 15 dinally circumferentially spaced recesses, a sleeve surrounding said shank and providing an'outer wall for said recesses, a button element associ ated with said shank, said button element including a base portion and a plurality of pointed tines formed thereon, the portion of the sleeve in the vicinity of said pierceable portionof the head being inclined toward the shank axis, the upper extremities of said recesses terminating in the vicinity of said inclined portion of the sleeve'whereby to enable-the free extremities of the aforesaid fastening elements to be deflected inwardly and to pierce said pierceable portion.

7. A button-type fastener including an enlarged head and shank having a pierceable portion, a clamping element having elongatedfase tening members, a sleeve surrounding said shank, said sleeve and said shank being adapted telescopically to receive therebetween theelongated fastening'members, and means on the sleeve and angularly disposed relative to the sleeve axis-for deflecting the free extremities of said elongated fastening members into said pierceable portion whereby to move said free extremities into interlocking impingement therewith;

8. A button-type fastener comprising a com? bined head and shank portion including a pierceable area into which the ends of elongated fastening members are adapted to be embedded. a clamping element' having elongated fastening members, and a, sleeve concentrically associated with said shank to receive the fastening members therebetween and having means angularly disposed relative to the sleeve axis for-deflecting the ends of the fastening members into the pierceable area.

9. A button-type fastener as claimed in claim 8, whereinthe sleeve is angularly bent into the pierceable area to deflect the ends of said fastening members thereinto.

OUGLJESA JULESPOUPITCH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS- Number Name Date 637,485 Platt Nov. 21, 1899 1,570,398

Purinton Jan. 19,1926 

